


Skype, Sleep, and Stress

by mismatched_ideas



Series: Starting Gun, Photo Finish [7]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Day 7, Homesickness, I stretched it a little, Instagram, M/M, Pining, Seungchuchu Week 2017, Skype, Stress, educational institutions, olympian AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-01 12:51:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10922178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mismatched_ideas/pseuds/mismatched_ideas
Summary: Seung-gil finally got the courage to follow Phichit on Instagram more than two years after they met.





	Skype, Sleep, and Stress

Seung-gil never expected Phichit to follow him back so quickly. Especially since it was three in the morning in Pyeongchang and he didn’t think it was any more of a normal hour in Bangkok. 

But then he saw Phichit’s newest photo and it made a little more sense.

_phichit+chu: New room, fresh start #excited #detroitUSA #college_

His phone beeped again and for a moment, or more like a few minutes, he fumbled with the app on his new smartphone. He didn’t really know why his phone had beeped but after a moment he just hit the button that seemed to be where the notification had come from.

_phichit+chu: Seung-gilllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_seung-gillee: Hello?_

_phichit+chu: HI_

_seung-gillee: You’re excited today._

_phichit+chu: Well it’s been two years and now you suddenly follow me! Why wouldn’t I be excited?_

_seung-gillee: I didn’t think you’d even remember me._

_phichit+chu: whaaaaaa? Of course I remember you!_

_seung-gillee: Oh_

_phichit+chu: Oh?_

_seung-gillee: Well, I just thought that because you didn’t follow me you must have forgotten._

_phichit+chu: Oooooh…_

_phicit+chu: I did look you up to see if you’d made an insta but since you hadn’t followed me I thought you didn't want to be friends_

_seung-gillee: That’s silly._

_phichit+chu: What about you, then?_

_seung-gillee: What?_

_phichit+chu: You didn’t follow me either!_

_seung-gillee: …_

_phichit+chu: That’s all you have to say for yourself?_

Seung-gil paused, mind buzzing with uncertainty about Phichit’s words. Was he kidding? Was he actually angry? 

_phichit+chu: Seung-gil?_

_seung-gillee: Sorry._

_phichit+chu: Why are you apologizing?_

_seung-gillee: For not following you._

_phichit+chu: You don’t need to apologize!_

_phichit+chu: No need to be so serious :)_

_seung-gillee: I’m not that serious._

_phichit+chu: If you could see me right now you’d see I’m raising my eyebrow in disbelief_

_phichit+chu: OMG!_

_phichit+chu: What time is it where you are???_

Seung-gil glanced at the time, sighing at the fact that he still hadn’t fallen asleep.

_seung-gillee: 4 in the morning._

_phichit+chu: You should sleep!!!!_

_seung-gillee: Okay. Good luck with school._

_phichit+chu: Thanks! Good night!_

_seung-gillee: Good night_

Seung-gil let his phone fall onto his chest, sighing at the thought of school. He had to get up to leave soon and he knew he needed to get at least an hour of sleep but he doubted that would come. 

He was glad Phichit seemed happy in college, seemingly knowing exactly what he wanted. Seung-gil wasn’t as lucky. Sure, archery still took up much of his time but the feeling that he wasn’t good enough academically still weighed heavily on him. He couldn’t put in as much time studying as his classmates simply because he also had practices to attend.

And he didn’t even know what he wanted to do with his life. 

He could, hopefully, continue archery for a while but one day he’d need to do something else and he didn’t think he’d be a very good coach. But if he didn’t coach, what could he do?

And so he had to study as much as he could. He didn’t have much more time left until graduation and if he just buckled down for these last few months then he had a chance at getting into a good school. But for what?

\---

He almost didn’t see the notification. Seung-gil had just gotten back from practice and had left his phone to charge, almost not looking at it so he could, instead, start studying.

But he did look at it and saw an Instagram notification.

_phichit+chu: Are you free?_

_seung-gillee: I was going to start studying._

_phichit+chu: oh_

_phichit+chu: I won't bother you then_

_seung-gillee: Wait_

_seung-gillee: Isn’t it four in the morning in Detroit?_

_phichit+chu: yah_

Seung-gil wasn’t sure what Phichit needed or why he contacted Seung-gil, but there had to be something wrong. Over the past month or so, they’d talked pretty consistently but always around midnight for Seung-gil which was still early for Phichit, but not 4AM early.

_seung-gillee: What’s wrong?_

_phichit+chu: I don’t want to bother you_

_seung-gillee: You’re not bothering me._

_phichit+chu: It’s just that_

_phichit+chu: I would talk to my sisters but they’re all at work or school or practice right now_

_phichit+chu: And that’s the same for any friends from home_

_phichit+chu: And I don't really have friends here_

Seung-gil should have known he was a last option.

_phichit+chu: And I like talking to you._

_phichit+chu: I don’t want to bother you though_

_seung-gillee: What do you need?_

_phichit+chu: Could we skype?_

That was hardly what Seung-gil had been expecting. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected but it wasn’t this. He was still reeling over Phichit saying he liked talking to him, Skype seemed so insanely outside their relationship. Seung-gil had always assumed their communication was either because Phichit was a naturally friendly person or because he took pity of Seung-gil after seeing his Instagram featured him, his dog, and his sister exclusively. 

_seung-gillee: okay._

It took him longer than expected to get Skype working. He hated to admit defeat but eventually he asked Mi-na to help and she did with barely any teasing. Mostly she was quiet and only gave him a few knowing looks. 

“Hi.” Phichit said weakly when he picked up Seung-gil’s call. “Sorry about this.”

“It’s fine.” Seung-gil’s eyebrows fell together just slightly, concern buzzing in his mind.

Phichit looked tired. Not just the kind of tired that you’d expect from someone if it was four in the morning but the kind of tired you’d expect from someone who’d slept four hours in as many days. And yet, his eyes were red in a way that had nothing to do with lack of sleep and instead had a lot more to do with someone who’d just been crying.

“Phichit?” His eyes looked like they were watering, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry.” He croaked, starting to cry. “I know we barely know each other but I didn’t know who else I could talk to. I’m so homesick and I’m pretty sure my roommate hates me. It’s really hard to make friends here because I came in the middle of the year so all the other freshman are already friends and between practice and class and work I barely have any time to even try to make friends.” 

A lot of Phichit’s words were lost in his crying but Seung-gil was pretty sure he understood most of it.

“Slow down.” He commanded, trying to sound comforting but failing miserably. “Why do you think your roommate hates you?”

“He’s barely talked to me since I moved in.” Phichit rubbed at his eyes, taking a deep breath that quickly turned into a sob. “And I think he’s avoiding me.”

“Maybe he’s nervous?” Seung-gil supplied. He was sure if he moved in with a stranger they’d end up thinking he hated them no matter how he actually felt. Part of this was because he was bad at talking to people but the other part was that he often got so nervous and wrapped up in his own mind that he didn’t say anything. Then he’d start avoiding the problem. “He might just not know what to say to you.” Seung-gil paused, “I mean, I didn’t talk to you for almost two years.” 

“Because you were nervous?”

Seung-gil nodded, “I didn't know what I’d do if you tried to talk to me so I avoided the problem.”

“Okay.” Phichit hiccupped, “I’ll try talking to him more.”

Seung-gil smiled, “That’s good.” When Phichit gave him a look he scrunched his eyebrows together. “What?”

“I’ve… I’ve just never seen you smile. You’re never smiling in your Instagram pictures, even when you look happy.”

“Really?”

“Yah. You eyes look happy when your with your dog or your sister but you’re never really smiling.” 

“Oh…” The smile had disappeared as quickly as it came and Phichit cursed himself a little for saying anything. “So let’s talk about your other problems.”

“I’m homesick.” Phichit repeated his early concerns, albeit more clearly. “My classes are a lot harder than I thought. My schedule is packed so tightly I can barely get sleep, let alone try and make new friends. At least if you come in at the beginning of the year there are programs to help people make friends but I started during spring semester instead of fall.”

“Well, for homesickness… Where’s your roommate from? They have to be homesick too.”

“He’s older. He’s not a freshman.”

“So he’s probably already gone through this, right?” That seemed logical to Seung-gil.

“Maybe… he is from Japan.”

“He also probably knows what it’s like to deal with time zones then, right?” Phichit nodded, “So why don’t you try asking him about that?”

“Okay… that sounds good.”

“So are you feeling better?”

“A little.” Phichit smiled, sniffling. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Seung-gil ducked his head a little, hoping Phichit couldn’t see his blush.

“Hey Seung-gil?”

“What?”

“Can we do this more often?” Seung-gil blinked and Phichit laughed, “Never mind, it was a silly suggestion.”

“We can if you want.” Seung-gil said, “I don’t want to bother you.”

Again, Phichit laughed. “I was the one to call you. If anyone’s being a bother, it’s me.”

“You’re never a bother.” Seung-gil said before he could think about what he was saying. The moment the words left his mouth, though, he felt ice in his veins. “I just mean that I like talking to you.”

He knew his cheeks were probably outrageously red right now. 

“That’s good to hear.” Phichit smiled softly, “I’ll let you study now.”

“Try to get some sleep.”

“You too.”

The call ended and Seung-gil felt a burning in his chest that he didn’t think he’d ever get used to. But what use was a crush? He had enough work to do without being distracted by a relationship that would never happen.

\---

“Seung-gil?” 

He had so much studying left to do. 

“Seung-gil?” 

Why was he even studying anyway?

“Seung-gil Lee?”

The only thing dumber than these tests was him.

“Seung-gil!” 

Seung-gil’s head snapped up to his computer screen, his mind feeling fuzzy as he stared at a very concerned looking Phichit. 

“Sorry, what?” 

“I asked if you were okay.”

“I’m fine.” 

“You look like you haven’t slept in weeks.” Seung-gil looked away, not wanting to see the concern in Phichit’s eyes. “How are you really?” 

“I’m really fine.” His voice was obviously not fine but he didn’t want to burden Phichit with his stupid problems. If he was just smarter then maybe…

“Seung-gil, don’t lie to me. Please.” 

“It’s– I’m–” He clenched his jaw, trying to stop the burning in his eyes and throat. He knew better than anyone that he didn’t deserve a friend like Phichit, especially when he felt his heart skip a beat whenever their Skype calls picked up or when Phichit sent him a message. It didn’t seem fair to Phichit that Seung-gil was harboring this stupid crush. Now he just wanted Phichit to stop worrying about him because he didn’t deserve worry. “I just have a lot to do for school.”

“You haven’t graduated yet, right?”

“I don’t graduate until late February.”

“University?”

“If I can get in anywhere.” Seung-gil found keeping his voice even was becoming more difficult with each sentence. “I’m applying to some schools in The United States and also some here. There’s some school in Los Angeles that seemed interested in my archery but without the grades I don’t know how I’ll be able to pay for any of it.”

“You won Olympic gold at sixteen! They’re not offering an athletic scholarships?” 

“No. Archery isn’t the kind of sport that gets a lot of money.”

“There has to be schools who would give you scholarships.”

“Sure, but I need to go to a good school.” Panic was rising in Seung-gil’s throat, “Who knows how long archery will last? Then what do I have? I need something I can do with my life.” He tried to take a deep breath but also choked on the air. “And archery isn’t even going that well.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Between practice and studying I basically don’t sleep but that takes a toll on everything I do.” Seung-gil was sure he’d regret this later but for now it felt good to get these feelings off his chest. “And they want me to participate in the team competition too but nobody likes me because I’m just unlikable and it’s hard to shoot when the people on your team want you to fail. I know Coach is disappointed but I’m pretty sure she’d given up on me by now. And once I take these stupid tests I know my parents will be disappointed because I’m an idiot!”

“Whoa, Seung-gil, slow down.” Phichit’s voice was soft and it broke through the panic in Seung-gil mind enough to remind himself he shouldn’t be saying any of this. Even as he began regretting his oversharing, he was glad to have Phichit hear to talk to. He was one of the only people who could calm the storm in Seung-gil's mind, even if it was only for a little bit. “You need to sleep.”

He was shaking his head before Phichit finished. “I don’t have time to sleep.”

“If you don’t sleep you won’t do your best work.” Phichit sighed, “You’re just like my roommate. You need to slow down. Life isn’t going to run away without you if you take a break.”

“These are my breaks.” Seung-gil admitted, even as he regretted it. “Talking to you is my break time. I shouldn’t even take this time but I–”

Where did Seung-gil think he was going with that admittance? Now Phichit was looking at him with expectant eyes, waiting for Seung-gil to continue. Waiting for him to confess the things he was feeling. Did Phichit know how he felt? 

“Sometimes it feels like talking to you is the only thing that keeps me going.” His cheeks were burning but confessing too much seemed better than crying and Seung-gil was pretty sure that was the only other option. “You’re my only friend.”

“I have a hard time believing that.” 

Well, at least the panic was gone for now. 

“Sorry.”

There was a long silence which gave Seung-gil time to go over every way he screwed this up. Why would he say something like that to Phichit? He probably felt awkward now. It was selfish of Seung-gil to even tell Phichit that. Phichit was too nice and now he was going to feel obliged to be his friend. 

“Just ignore what I said.” Seung-gil insisted, looking at his hands. “Forget I even said it.”

Phichit giggled nervously and when Seung-gil looked up, his face was red.

“What?” Seung-gil didn’t mean to sound so cross but he couldn’t understand why Phichit was laughing. 

“I… umm… Well…” Phichit opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, lost for words. “I’m glad we’re friends. And… umm… If you go to University in America then we should visit each other.”

“Oh, well–” Seung-gil blinked, “I’d like that.” Then both stayed silent, blushing while trying to pretend they weren’t. Finally Seung-gil spoke up. “I should probably go study.”

“Okay… Good luck.” Phichit smiled, “I’m sure you’re going to do great.”

“Thanks.”

“Talk later?”

“Yep.”

The call hung up and again Seung-gil could feel his chest burning. He really needed to get rid of this crush before it ruined their friendship.

**Author's Note:**

> When seungchuchu week is over I'm going to reorder this series to be in chronological order I think. For reference, this is the second fic chronologically and takes place around two years after Lost. 
> 
> \---
> 
> This week is rapidly coming to a close! Tomorrow is our last official day but I'll probably continue to write more for this series. I'll talk more about that tomorrow tho. Really I just wanted to say thanks and that day 8 might be my fav fic.


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